National Rural Education Endorsed Research Centers: Current Activities and Future Directions.

Barker, Bruce O.

Any public or private, non-profit agency, organization, or institution committed to research in rural education may apply for official endorsement from the National Rural Education Association (NREA) to establish a recognized Rural Education Research Center. The major objectives of NREA endorsement of ongoing or future research include: (1) keeping rural education a prominent item on the agenda of state and federal offices, public agencies, and institutions of higher education; (2) providing an increased research focus to public entities serving rural populations; (3) providing public or private non-profit agencies, institutions, or organizations with added creditability when seeking internal or external funds to conduct research with a rural focus; (4) serving as a mechanism for data gathering and dissemination that will provide local, state, and federal policymakers with accurate and timely information for decisionmaking; and (5) allowing for a network of rural researchers to coordinate efforts and share information. The NREA endorsement is initially for a period of 3 years with successive renewals of 5 years. Endorsement requirements are: (1) expertise in and publicly available reports on rural education research; (2) support from parent organization, colleagues, and a variety of schools or intermediate service units; (3) commitment of a minimum of 2 fulltime personnel and $10,000 of operating expenses and support services; (4) evidence of an appropriate plan and willingness to disseminate research results; and (5) a written 5-year research agenda with annual progress reports. Two endorsed NREA Research Centers are the Center for Rural and Small Schools at Kansas State University and the Rural Education Research and Service Consortium at Tennessee Technological University. (ALL)